Gojira!

I have been to dozens of movies at the Egyptian Theater, but I have never seen a crowd as large or enthusiastic as they were last night for King Kong vs. Godzilla! It was incredible. The line to get in to the theater was HUGE -- actually two lines of people stretching from the entrance all the way to the sidewalk of Hollywood Blvd. And all types of people: kids, parents, grandparents, comic book geeks of all ages, cinephiles, goths, young Hollywood hotties, glamorous older couples...you name it.

I really was suprised at the turnout for some cheesy monster movie. Had no idea there was such a fan base. I'm not really a Godzilla fan. I was just expecting to go and have a nostalgic laugh with a few strangers, but this was more like the atmosphere for a Star Wars movie (back when they were good) or an Indiana Jones flick, something like that. People laughed, cheered, and applauded through the whole film.

They also had a couple of the original Toho company special effects guys from Japan who built all the models and sets for the original Godzilla films. There was a short Q & A before the film with a moderator and the gentlemen spoke through a translator, describing some of their experiences and stories of making the films.

It's too bad the American dubbed versions are the ones being screened for most of the Godzilla festival, a 50th birthday celebration which runs until Tuesday. All of the Japanese sections were pretty good. The American sections were hysterically bad. Horrible filmmaking, but funny to laugh at.

I wish I could see them all!